Origin

Late Middle English (in the sense 'seizing, capture'): from Latincaptio(n-), from capere 'take, seize'. Early senses 'arrest' and 'warrant for arrest' gave rise to 'statement of where, when, and by whose authority a warrant was issued' (late 17th century): this was usually appended to a legal document, hence the sense 'heading or accompanying wording' (late 18th century).